Friday, February 29, 2008

Tour Da Chicago Death

Last weekend, a cyclist was killed in a notoriously busy and dangerous 6-way intersection while running a red light in an illegal bike race called the Tour Da Chicago. Since everyoneelse has weighed in on this, I may as well add to the cacophony.

As a bicycling advocate, I have always preached this:

Equal rights, equal rules, equal responsibilities.

If we cyclists want equal rights on the streets, we must take responsibility for our actions in traffic and follow the same "rules of the road" that motorists should. A bike race on city streets without traffic control is no more responsible than an illegal auto race (with apologies to Brock Yates and Burt Reynolds). While I feel sympathy for the family and friends of the victim, this was an avoidable death. And the often hostile "debate" it has fostered has done little to improve the image or safety of cyclists on Chicago streets.